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Board pulls alternative-education resolution after students and staff urge keeping San Antonio open
Summary
Petaluma City Schools trustees withdrew a resolution to advance alternative-education changes after public comment from students, staff and therapists who argued sites like San Antonio provide essential support; trustees cited lack of clarity and recent leadership turnover as reasons to pause.
The Petaluma City Schools Board of Education on March 10 withdrew a resolution that would have advanced work by an alternative education task force after trustees and district leaders said the measure lacked clear goals and the district was undergoing leadership changes.
Chair (speaker 1) told the board the resolution was intended to begin a process to strengthen support for struggling secondary students but that "moving forward with this resolution at this time is impossible" because of "a lack of clarity on the goals of the alternative education task force, misunderstandings and miscommunications," and recent upheaval in superintendent and cabinet positions.
The withdrawal came after an extended public-comment period in which current and former students, teachers and licensed clinicians urged the board not to close or involuntarily transfer students out of alternative sites such as San Antonio.
Courtney Lauer (speaker 26), speaking during nonagendized public comment, urged the board to observe special-education procedural safeguards and IEP requirements before moving students to alternative placements, saying, "Moving all currently enrolled students to an alternative placement may violate students with disabilities' right to a free and appropriate public education" and that prior written notice and IEP meetings are required for any change in placement.
Nikki Jackson (speaker 25), a licensed marriage and family therapist, said mental-health needs at alternative-education sites are substantial: "At all of our Alt Ed sites, our mental health team sees a significant majority of the student population," she said, adding that many students have multiple adverse childhood experiences and that San Antonio provides specialized supports, suicide and threat assessment, and continuity of care.
Dave Anderson (speaker 20), a teacher at Carpe Diem/Snow Mountain, described student choice and outcomes, saying reducing alternatives risks restricting options to large comprehensive high schools or overloading a single adult-education site. Several students and family members also read statements about how San Antonio and other sites supported graduation, credit recovery and a sense of belonging.
Trustees and board members who spoke after public comment expressed support for pausing the resolution to allow clearer parameters and better committee processes. Trustee (speaker 5) urged clearer committee purpose and a communications plan so the district can "come up with a very clear communications plan" before resuming decisions.
The board did not take any formal action to close San Antonio at the meeting; the chair said programs at San Antonio, Carpe Diem and Snow Mountain would continue "the way they are now." Trustees said they will continue task-force work and convene additional meetings to clarify goals and next steps.
The next procedural step at the board's March meeting was to move into closed session; the item on the alternative-education resolution was removed from that night's public agenda and will be revisited after further planning and outreach.
